A conservative mogul worth $43 billion says he knows the secret to helping poor people. According to Charles Koch, the U.S. needs to get rid of the minimum wage, which he counts as a major obstacle to economic growth.

On Wednesday, the Charles Koch Foundation launched a $200,000 media campaign in Wichita, Kansas, with a hint of expanding it elsewhere. It is the Kochs’ biggest media buy since they promised to do more to “persuade politicians” after suffering losses in the 2012 election.

In an interview with the Wichita Eagle published Tuesday, Koch said that the minimum wage is one policy he is working against:

We want to do a better job of raising up the disadvantaged and the poorest in this country, rather than saying ‘Oh, we’re just fine now.’ We’re not saying that at all. What we’re saying is, we need to analyze all these additional policies, these subsidies, this cronyism, this avalanche of regulations, all these things that are creating a culture of dependency. And like permitting, to start a business, in many cities, to drive a taxicab, to become a hairdresser. Anything that people with limited capital can do to raise themselves up, they keep throwing obstacles in their way. And so we’ve got to clear those out. Or the minimum wage. Or anything that reduces the mobility of labor.

The Kansas ad does not specifically mention the minimum wage, but it does claim that Americans earning $34,000 a year should count themselves as lucky, because that puts them in the top 1 percent of the world. “That is the power of economic freedom,” the ad concluded. Meanwhile, Charles and David Koch are the ones comfortably in the 1 percent, with a net worth of about 1 million times that figure. Watch the ad:

The ad cites a report from the Koch-funded Fraser Institute showing that “The United States used to be a world leader in economic freedom but our ranking fell. And it’s projected to decline even further.” (That same Fraser report interestingly ranks Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Chile ahead of the U.S. Those places all have government-run health care, which the Kochs adamantly oppose.)

In the U.S., economic inequality has grown rapidly, and the lagging minimum wage is in large part to blame. Some states have moved to address the growing gap between what people earn and the rising cost of living, but nationally the minimum wage has barely moved in decades. Little to no evidence exists to support Koch’s claim that the minimum wage impedes companies or causes them to fire employees. In fact, raising the minimum wage to $9 would pump up to $48 billion into the economy by the next year and ease the income gap for 15 million low-wage workers.

Koch maintained his and his brother’s political efforts are not for their own benefit, but for the country’s greater good. “All the other large companies, or the great majority of them, are promoting some kind of special cronyism where they’re undermining economic freedom.” Although he deems low-wage workers part of a “culture of dependency” on the government, Koch Industries is on the receiving end of oil subsidies, government contracts, and bailouts.

8 Responses to Billionaire Koch Brother Says Eliminating The Minimum Wage Will Help The Poor

However the Koch brothers try to “spin” their goals here, the simple fact is that in the business world; people are trying to profit….and that means by reducing costs. Plain and simple.

In British Columbia, Canada, employees are under law defined as “probationary employees” for 90 days; after which they are considered “full time,” which means that people are under full protection under our labour laws.

What was allowed for 10 years here was “training wages;” (approx. 30% lower than minimum wage) for the employees probationary period. What occurred in practice was that employees were summarily fired before they became “full time.” Currently; business owners treat people like cattle here and still do.

What we have experienced here in BC in microcosm is just a taste of what the Koch brothers will do to American working people. I wonder just how the Koch brothers would “score” on a psychiatric psychopath test.

The greater Good for 99% would be if the Koch’s and all those like them go find another planet to live on and leaves us alone!! No one respects any of these pathetic self serving views or comments! Finally if they are really trying to help then get out of politics as that will help more than anything they can do!!!

OMG!! This ad must be for the sheeple, cause there isn’t one awakened Soul here on Gaia that would be into on word of this manure. Here’s to the awakening of humanity!! Let’s keep it going. Love and Light, Todd.

Articles like this one, used to leave me a totally hopeless place, where I felt powerless to do anything about it. Then this morning I just happened to glance at Aisha North’s article and caught the mention in it, of personal ‘one to one’ helpers for us. It makes very revealing reading indeed.
Bring it on says I, it’s about time we met these people, even if only in dreams for the present.
Wonderful, I will enjoy asking the many questions I have and the pure truths to come in answer.
I can also ignore this man’s mega richness totally now, in the knowledge that if this does turn out to be true…….. then I can imagine Mr Koch’s many night conversations to come and the wet bed sheets he may leave, at seeing the truth revealed to him in ways none of us ever imagined could happen 😉
We can then concentrate our individual efforts in other more fruitful directions without being distracted by the likes of these disrespectful members of our society.
Mr Koch has my Love too
Hugs Nick

Nick: Just have to chime in here and say that I love your comment! Brought a HUGE smile to my heart and I just couldn’t pass up the chance to tell you. Awesome!! Much love, light, and hugs to you! ~ bryan

So a leading Schoolyard Bully is STILL after the Gimpy Kids’ Lunch Money. Only now a single bully can tap MILLIONS of Gimpy Kids at a stroke! We are all grown now and the cost of our lunches has marched in lock-step with the Fed’s century-of-inflation while the Bully Subsidies from USDC Central have grown far out of proportion to said currency-debasement – for those who Collect.

One point of order: As a small owner of a tiny business, I certainly do perforce agree all but completely with Mr. Koch with respect to the entry-level showstoppers and daily operations impediments now well and truly in place against folks who are out to found ANY size of startup enterprise. A quick review reminds us, though, that those apparently gratuitous showstoppers and cash-costly clusters of Administrative Tanglefoot were in fact placed with great care (and generally at considerable private expense) at the dawn of the prior Gilded Age now gone by – in order to exactly foster and encourage hardworking energetic people like the Rest of Us to go to low-wage dead-end work for people just like Mr. Koch. Moreover, it was the members of HIS OWN ANCESTRAL and CONTEMPORARY CLASS who forced those very barriers and roadblocks into place, entirely against the will of all the Rest of Us.

Examples: First it was folks making buggy-whips and pull-toys and even apple pies on their own kitchen tables for commercial sale. But that was stopped with Zoning Laws. (Oh yes and the cops.) A TINY machine shop in someone’s basement competes and wins against the the BIG one at the KiloCorp Mill? (Can’t be allowed. Give it a little ax-dent tonight, Looie. Don’t get caught but WE own the cops so there.) A doctor invents an electro-resonant device that explodes disease germs right there in the blood? Now THAT upstart threatens OUR PATENTS! (Got another one fer ya’, Looie.) Grow grain and veggies on the land for direct use by resident owners and chattel livestock on the property? Harms Interstate Commerce, yerronnah! WE need MORE MEANER COPS now! Oh those BAD BAD workers trying to be Producers like their BETTERS! Uppity and need takin’ DOWN a few pegs, HM!

Thus it appears that the Koch revolution (so to term it) favors a SHIFT of ALLEGIANCE on the part of the low-wage earner and benefits recipient – AWAY from the USDC Jurisdiction’s dubiously benevolent aegis, DIRECTLY into the open arms of Koch-Corporatized NeoMeriqqqa. Yup – I think it’s mighty plain now what KOCH wants. By legislative and even military force if “necessary”… (Remember the threats of martial law made by those self-immolated banksters back in ’08?)

Amazing how readily the practitioners of soft-glove hard-core Fascism’s pretzel logic will twist things to force a contrived point into place – just like any other crooked racket. Best part is, it is YOUR LUNCH – so it is ONLY RIGHT that YOU pay the tab AND serve the meal AND clear the table AND do the dishes while THEY EAT. (Someone said you had a seat at this table, Son?)

Non sequitur? Only from YOUR end of the table – WELL below the salt. And that is all. 0{:-\o[